Floor construction



June 18, 1968 H. G. w. THIELEN FLOOR CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 11, 1965 jw Mada 11v VENTOR M/M A TTORNEYS June 18, 1968 H. G. w. THIELEN 3,388,516

FLOOR CONSTRUCTI ON Filed Oct. 11, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 M A rromws v June 18, 1968 H. G. w. THIELEN 3,388,516

FLOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 11, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig/O m uzfirmw w INVEN TOR BYd/MM 2:4

2/ A T TORNEYS June 18, 1968 H. e. w. THIELEN FLOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 11, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Ii/lli Fig. 8

m gdmww zaw IN VENTOR BYwJMM 5%! Qua/WM A TTORNEYs United States Patent "ice Hues.

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A floor construction wherein a concrete slab provides the groundwork. A bed is positioned on such groundwork and a resilient element such as a corrugated sheet is placed thereon. An insulating layer is provided on the resilient element and a carrying layer is provided on the insulating layer. A floor covering is positioned on the carrying layer. The corrugated sheet is in sections with the borders extending parallel to the corrugations overlapping each other. Each of the sheet sections with its substantially vertically extending portion of its broader corrugation engaging the border edge of the other sheet section so that the free end of the vertical portion on the other sheet sections is placed against the bottom and the top respectively of the border corrugation on the other sheet section. The joint between the border of one of the sheet sections and the bottom of the border corrugation of the other sheet section being tightened by a tape.

It is of importance in connection with floors that they are not too dead as the case is in connection with concrete floors. Dead floors can cause injuries on persons which during considerable time have to stand or walk on such floors, e.g. in factories, in oflices, in shops and so on. Concrete floors are often very cool and this is the case especially in so called cellar-less or basement-less houses which constitute a great part of the one-family villas built in recent times. The present invention has reference to an invention which is mainly characterised thereby that on a groundwork, e.g. concrete slab, there is arranged a bed on which there rests a spring element comprising a corrugated layer and further therein that on this sheet there is arranged an insulating layer and on the latter a carrying layer for a floor covering.

By means of this construction there is obtained a floor with elasticity and which thus is healthy for the feet, which is ventilated or could be ventilated and thus may be heated e.g. by means of hot air and which conserves its good properties during a practically unlimited time.

At the laying of such floor constructions the corrugated layer is applied in the shape of plates or sheets and it has then turned out to invlove certain difiiculties to obtain a satisfactory joint between these sheets.

The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate also these drawbacks and this has according to the invention been obtained thereby that said sheets at their longitudinal borders which are parallel to the waves overlap each other whereby each sheet with an erected portion of the border wave engages theborder wave of the other sheet in such a way that the free border of the essentially vertical portion on one sheet is pressed against the bottom or the top respectively of the border wave of the other sheet.

In many a case it might be of advantage that the floor is prefabricated in sections which are mounted on the place where they are intended to be used. In Such a case the corrugated sheet in each section should be shaped in such a way that it with its border projects outside the border of the section in such a way that the borders of 3,388,516 Patented June 18, 1968 this sheet can be brought to overlapping engagement with each other in the way described in the aforegoing.

The invention will now be described more in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the draw- 1ngs:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a floor according to the present invention with the dilferent layers partly uncovered,

FIGS. 2-5 show cross sections through floors according to the present invention illustrating different embodiments of the spring element,

FIG. 6 shows a cross section through a floor construction having a corrugated layer comprising sheets which are jointed in accordance with the present invention,

FIG. 7 illustrates the invention when carried into effect in a floor construction comprising sections at the jointing of two sections,

FIG. 8 shows the same sections as FIG. 7 but after the jointing,

FIG. 9 is a view from above of a floor construction according to the invention, and

FIG. 10 shows the floor construction with a modified corrugated layer,

FIGS. 7, 8, and 10 show sections on the line A-A in FIG. 9.

As obvious from FIG. 1, the floor construction according to the invention comprises a groundwork, eg a concrete slab 1 carrying an insulation layer 2 which may comprise e.g. a fiber layer impregnated with bitumen or a tar-board. The insulating layer 2 serves as a bed for a corrugated layer 3 which may comprise hard resin, e.g. stiff polyvinylchloride (PVC) with a thickness of 0.5-1.5 millimeters. On the top of the layer 3 there is arranged an insulating layer 4 which with advantage comprises a board impregnated with asphalt. On the top of the insulation layer 4 there is laid a carrying layer 5 for distributing pressures and this layer may comprise wood fibre boards, plywood, plaster plates, l-amellated plates or the like. Eventually, there is on the top of the carrying layer 5 arranged a floor covering 6, eg a linoleum covering, a rug floor covering of a textile material, parquetted floor or another material with great resistance to wearing.

When a person walks on a floor according to the invention there is obtained a good resiliency to the spring element 3 which is permitted to perform some minor displacements in relation to the groundwork 1 and the carrying layer 5 due to the insulation layers 2 and 4, the latter layers contributing also to an increased sound and heat insulation.

Due to the channels 7 and 8 which are formed by the waves in the corrugated layer 3 there are obtained air layers which give a good heat insulation and which also render possible a good ventilation of the floor. Through the channels 7 and 8 there could be passed hot air in such a way that there is obtained well heated floors. A further advantage is to be seen therein that the air channels '7 and 8 also give a good sound insulation which is of a special advantage when the floor construction is arranged in such a position that it separates different flats or apartments. In case an absolute difliusion tightness is desired the sheets 3 are mutually taped at the longitudinal borders.

The floor construction thus incorporates the following very desirable properties: good resiliency, good heat and moisture insulation, good walking properties and heat agreeableness, resistance, diffusion tightness, low construction height, low material requirements, easy mountability and thus also good work economy.

Many modifications are of course possible within the scope of the appended claims but in the first line such modifications could be carried out in connection with the shaping of the corrugated layer 3. The springing properties are in first hand determined by the shape of the profile. Different profiles are illustrated in FIGS. 2-5. In FIG. 2 there is shown a sheet having waves forming in cross section a parallel trapezia. According to FIG. 3 the waves of the layer 3 has a cross section in the shape of a sinusoidal curve. According to FIG. 4 the waves are shaped with alternating well rounded summits in the shape of vaults and downwards directed more sharply rounded cams. In FIG. 5 there is shown a special construction in which the vertically extending portions 9 of the waves are provided with extra longitudinal plaits 10 which increase the resiliency of the corrugated sheet 3. This constrnction is suitable in such a case when the layer 3 is attached e.g. glued to the bed 2 and in some events also to the layer 4. In FIGS. 2-5 there are shown only some possible embodiments of the resilient layer 3. The material of the layer 3 does not necessarily have to constitute a resin but may be replaced by another material with good resistance to aging. Also a metal sheet or a metal foil which with advantage should be coated by a protective layer for preventing a corrosion could also be used as a resilient layer 3.

At the laying of such a fioor it has turned out that certain difiiculties could occur in connection with the arranging of the corrugated layer 3. This layer may namely only in exceptional cases be shaped as big as it is in one single piece may cover the whole floor of a room, and this is well understood when explained that the floor construction according to the present invention mostly should be used for great rooms such as gymnastic halls and the like. The joints between the sheets then have caused difficulties with regard to tightness as well as to carrying properties. These difficulties have also been overcome by means of the present invention which has reference also to a special method for jointing the plastic sheets. As is shown in FIG. 6 the sheets 11 and 12 forming the layer 3 overlap each other at the joint 13 whereas one sheet 12 with its vertically extending portion 14 of its border wave 15 engages the border wave 16 of the other sheet 11. The end of the vertical portion 14 is somewhat out down but only to such an extent that it abuts against the top 17 of the border wave 16. The sheet 11 engages with the downwards directed portion 18 in the border wave 15 of the other sheet 12 in such a way that its end is pressed against the bottom 19 of the border wave 15. The sheets 11 and 12 are arranged in such a way that there is thereby obtained a space 20 be tween the portions 14 and 18. Hereby, it is, at the joint, obtained two vertical portions situated rather close to each. other which give the joint a supplemental strength and thereby that the ends 21 and 22 of the vertical portions 14 and 18, respectively, are pressed against the top 17 and the bottom 19 of the border wave of the other sheet there is obtained a very good tightness. If desired this tightness can be further increased by means of a tape 23, preferably a so-called industrial tape.

The plates 24, 25 forming the carrying layer 5 are jointed in a way known per se by means of a rabbeted joint 26 and this joint 26 is preferably reinforced thereby that there is in the layer 3 inserted a rib 27 having a cross section fitting the waves of the layer 3.

In many a case it might be advantageous to manufacture the construction according to the invention in prefabricated, glued sections and in this case the different sections are jointed at the building place in the way which will be described in the following with reference to FIGS. 7-10.

In FIG. 7 there are shown the border portions of two sections 28 and 29. These sections comprise each of the different layers 1, 2, 4', and 6. In this connection it is to be pointed out that in the previously described embodiment of the invention the insulation layer 2 comprised a thin board whilst it in the instant case comprises a thick fibre plate impregnated with bitumen. Further,

there is in the previously described constructions used an upper insulation layer 4 comprising board as well as a carrying layer 5 but in the instant case these two layers have been combined to a single fibre layer 4'.

According to FIG. 7 the section 28 is already at its proper position and the section 29 is to be connected. The section 29 then takes initially the position indicated. by means of dash and dot lines in which position a connection rib 39 is inserted into a border groove 31 in the carrying plate 4' of the section 29. The section 29 is then turned in such a way that its layer 3, extending outside the section with the vertical portion 14' of its border wave 15', with this portion 14' engages the vertical portion 18which also extends outside its section 28- on the corrugated layer 3 of the section 28. The sections 28 and 29 are then put together and one then has to pay attention that the joint rib engages the groove 32 in the carrying plate -4' of the section 28. When put together, the sections 28 and 29 are in the position shown in FIG. 8. The joint 33 which is formed in the fioor covering 6 proper is preferably filled with a joint paste 34 which is ground in level with the covering 6. It is thus obvious that one then by means of the sheets 11 and 12' of the corrugated layer 3 obtains a reinforced joint under the joint in the carrying plate 4' and in this particular case it is probably not necessary to insert any rib like the one denoted with 27 in the previous example.

In FIG. 9 there is shown a plan view of the sections 28 and 29 and in this figure thes has been indicated a border groove 35 for joining the sections 28 and 29 with the next row of sections.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 10 corresponds to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 with the exception that the corrugated layer has been shaped with another cross section of is waves, For the reason that this embodiment for the rest corresponds to the previous embodiment it seems to be superfluous to repeat the description of the construction.

It should be pointed out that with the shape given to the sections 28 and 29, in particular with regard to the layers 2 and 4', this floor construction is especially suitable for ship decks where there is desired moisture tightness and floors healthy for the feet. By means of this invention there is obtained a considerably corrosion protection due to the obtained possibility of ventilation. Hitherto, condensed water has caused great problems in ships as it has caused a corrosion. This problem has been finally solved by means of the present invention which renders possible such a ventilation of the floor that there does not occur any consideration of water.

The invention has been described in the aforegoing for purposes of illustration only and it is not intended to be restricted by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims. As already mentioned the layer 3 could be shaped with many ditierent profiles and further, the pro-fabricated sections could be interconnected in another way than by means of the shown joint rib 30.

What I claim is:

1. In a floor construction; a groundwork comprising a concrete slab, a bed on said groundwork, a resilient element comprising a corrugated sheet on said bed, an insulating layer on said resilient element, a carrying layer on said insulating layer, a floor covering on said carrying layer, said corrugated sheet comprising sections, said sheets at the borders extending parallel to the corrugations overlapping each other, each one of said sheet sections with its substantially vertically extending portion of its border corrugation engaging the border edge of the sheet sections in such a Way that the free end of the vertical portion on one of the sheet sections is pressed against the bottom and the top, respectively, of the border corrugations on the other sheet section, the joint between the border of one of the sheet sections and the bottom of the border corrugations of the other sheet section tightened by means of a tape.

2. In a fioor construction; a groundwork comprising a concrete slab, a bed on said groundwork, a resilient element comprising a corrugated sheet on said bed, an insulating layer on said resiliient element, a carrying layer on said insulating layer, a fioor covering on said carrying layer, said corrugated sheet comprising sections, said sheets at the borders extending parallel to the corrugation overlapping each other, each one of said sheet sections with its substantially vertically extending portions of its border corrugations engaging the border edge of the other sheet section in such a Way that the free end of the vertical portion on one of the sheet sections is pressed against the bottom and the top, respectively, of the border corrugations on the other sheet section, said fioor con- E? struction comprising pie-fabricated sections, said sections provided with said corrugated sheet sections, the border of said corrugated sheet sections extending outside the border of said pre-fabricated sections, said corrugated sheet sections at the jointing of said prefabricated sections being brought to overlap each other whilst being brought to enage the border corrugations of each other.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS l,951,965 3/1934 Butterworth 52-618 2,576,530 11/1951 Medal 52618 X 3,058,551 10/1962 lMartin 52--346 X JOHN E. MURTAUGH, Primary Examiner. 

